Automatic bilge drain stopper



June l5, 1965 L. B. DAwsoN 3,188,994

AUTOMATIC BILGE DRAIN STOPPER Filed Dec. 16. 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. LEONARD B. DAWSON BY .4 4%??44b ATNEVJ June l5, 1965 AUTOMATIC BILGI? Filed-vec. 1s. 196s L. B. DAwsoN DRAIN STOPPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AEXF1/SP3 INVENTOR. LNARD B. DAWSON .9 Byyw ATTO/2Min? United States Patent O AUTUMATIC BILGE DRAiN STGIPER Leonard B. Dawson, 544 Loop Road, Hendersonville, NJC. Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,885 2 Claims. (Cl. 114-197) The present invention realtes to a bilge drain device for boats.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved bilge drain device constructed to avoid mishaps resulting from inadvertent lack of attention to the bilge drain when launching or operating a boat.

Another object is to provide an improved bilge drain device 4of the character mentioned above, which is easily and inexpensively Vinstalled upon a boat either in the course of building a new boat, or in applying the device to a boat equipped with a standard bilge drain.

A further object of the invention is to Provide an im- Yproved bilge drain device having automatic closing features which greatly minimize the dangers attending failure to devote proper and timely attention to the bilge drain during launching or operation of a boat.

Another object is to provide highly reliable bilge drain device of the character stated, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and designed for installation with ease and despatch.

f The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and as illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

` FIG. l is a cross-sectional view of a boat transom, showing in elevation the device of the invention applied thereto as an accessory to standard boat construction.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. l, showing the improved bilge drain device in vertical cross-section.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device illustrated by FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 1*4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a modied form of the bilge drain device, constructed for application to a new boat transom in the course of building a boat.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section taken on line 8- of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section taken on line 9--9 of FIG. 6.

Standard practice in the boat-building art has been to provide the transom 10 of boat l2 with a bilge drain opening 14, containing a cylindrical liner 16 of metal or other durable material. The drain opening required closing by means of a removable plug or stopper whenever the boat was launched or permitted to rest motionless upon the water, to avoid foundering at such times. Inattention to this task has often resulted in damage to the boat and its equipment, sometimes with disastrous etects. One of the objectives of the present invention is to eliminate or at least minimize the hazard connected with failure of the boatman to devote timely attention to the bilge drain.

Referring particularly to FIGS. l to 4, the reference numeral 18 indicates an inboard bracket or body, preferably in the form of a metallic casting, including a head n a bore 34 to be aligned with the axis of drain opening 14, the bore being adapted to slidably support a reciprocable stem or rod 36 which extends axially through drain opening 14. That portion 38 of the stem or rod Fice which extends through the drain opening carries a buoyant outboard valve member 4t), which may be in the form of a ball larger in diameter than the drain opening and thus provide an effective closure therefor.

It is important that the ball or valve member 40 be buoyant and have a tendency to float in the water outboard of the boat transom. To this end, the member d@ may be formed of cellular rubber, cork, plastic or any suitably durable material capable of iioatation and of sealing the bilge drain opening. While in the present disclosure the member 46 is shown as a solid or semi-solid material, it may of course be in the form of a hollow body attachable to stem or rod 36 near its outer end 3S. The float member may be rendered adjustable along the stem, by providing the stem with a screw thread as shown, and nuts 42 to clamp the oat member therebetween.

The head Ztl depends laterally from neck 22, and is provided with a bore 44; carrying a bushing 46 aligned with bore 34. Bushing t6 is remote from bore 34, and serves to slidably support the end portion 43 of stem 36. Said end portion carries a knob or handle Sil whereby the stem may be manually shifted longitudinally to seat and unseat the ball or valve member 4t? relative to the bilge drain opening.

Means are provided for normally but releasably holding stem or rod 36 in a normally operative position of retraction at which the valve member or ball 4t) is seated upon the bilge drain opening, FIG. 2. Such holding means may comprise a fixed permanent magnet 52, whose poles 5d extend in the direction of lug 32. Upon the stem or rod 36 is mounted an armature 56 to be attracted and held by the poles of the magnet whenever the stem or rod is manually moved to retracted position by means of knob or handle dil. The magnet is xedly mounted upon head 20, and kept in place by a locating lug 58 on the head.

Armature 56 may be loosely mounted upon stem 36, to have limited bodily movement lengthwise of the stem between close limits determined by stops or washers 60, 60, which are fixed upon the stern at opposite sides of the armature. The stem may move through a hole 62 in magnet 52.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the boatman may place the bilge drain device in either of the positions illustrated by FIGS. 1 or 2, by simple manipulation of the knob or handle Si?. When in the FlG. 1 position, the device will effect bilge expulsion as the boat travels in forward direction. In the FIG. 2 condition of the device, the ball or valve member 4G precludes movement of water in either direction through the bilge opening of the transom.

It may here be pointed out that in launching the boat from a trai-ler or Skid, with the transom heading into the water, the force of water acting again-st ball or valve member 40 will close it upon the bilge pipe 16 as in FIG. 2, in which closed position it will be held by the force of magnet 52. The danger of launching the boat i 'ith the bilge pipe open is thereby avoided.

Further, if the boat is transported by trailer to the launching site, and the ball or valve member 4t? happens to be unseated, vibration and road shock imparted to the ball or valve member *incident to road travel are likely to eventually urge the device to closed condition, in advance of the launching.

To cite a :further advantage, assume that the boat is traveling in water at high speed with the `ball valve open to remove ibilge water. If then the `forward speed of the boat is reduced or stopped, the action of wake and waves upon the buoyant ball `or valve member 4t) will tend to laterally jiggle the valve stem and induce such free' movement of the stem in its bearings, as to render the armature readily movable into contact with magnetpoles S4, thereby to automatically Vclose .the bilge opening and preclude entry of water into the boat. f

The action of the device is 'Very simple and reliable, requiring norengine power or elaborate equipmentfor i itsoperation. 1 Y f, The modified form of lthe dev-ice illustrated by FIGS. 5 to 9,-,operates in the same Ymanner and has .thesafme advantages as -recited above. 1It differs principally from' the device or" FIGS. 1 to 4, in that the body 70 is a tube rather than a castin-g, vand replaces the bilge pipe or `liner '16 in the factory assemlbly of the boat. Y

Body 70 is secured in the transom opening '72,and extends inwardly/,into the boat Where at its yinner end 74, the cylindrical body is provided With a cap 76 held in place by a screw '78. The screwmay serveV also to anchor the magnetSZ within the body. Cap 76 is apertured at 82 to accommodate the slidable Vstern or rod, the latter car- .A rying at itsk opposite endsthe knob or handle` 50 and the ball or valve member 40, as in FIGS.' 1 to4. .V In they a l `It is tobe Yunderstood that various modifications anc changes may bernade in the structural details olf the device, Within the' scope of the appended claims, without cri departing from lthe spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is :V f.

1. ,A bilge drain device for controlling the drain opening-of al boat transom, said 'device comprising Vin comrbination: an elongate reciprocalble actuating stem having forward and rear end portions, a ysupport means for the stem comprising a fbody having a head, a mounting base y.and Va neck intermediate the head and themountingbase i. bearing, means on the head and the mounting base, ,foi

supporting'the reciprocab'lerstem axially ofthe drain opening, wwith the rear endy portion of the stern extended intc the drain openingand theforward end lportion thereoi accessible. iniboard of the boat, an outboard buoyant valve member mounted `upon the rear end portion of the sterr manner previously explainedan armature 56 is mounted 'Y upon the stem, for attractionV bythe polesr 54 of the rnag-Y net. yIntermediate its ends, the ltubular body may be 'provided with side openings 80 for entry of 'bi-lge water and 4 expulsion thereof through the rear vopen end 84 of the body. A strut 86 apertured `at its middle portion 88,

r and secured at its ends Within ythe `tubular body, provides l a lbearing in which stem 36 may shift longitudinally. Shifted positions of the stem andthe parts connected thereto, are indicated .by full and broken lines upon FIG.

forth as app-lying to the `device of PIGSQl -to 4, 'are applicable as well tol the `modification. illustrated lby FIGS.

5 to 9. Both forms ofthe ,device are equally effectivev in accomplishingthe objectives' o f the invention.V

The Various advantages and objectives hereinbefore set for movement with the stem to and -fromseated positior y, upon the drain opening outboard of the trans0m and co- Y I References Cited'by tlieExaminer UNITED sTArEs PATENTS 275,270 4/83 Renton 1=1419 2,708,944 5/55 Medine a 137--202 `2,730,062 1/'56 Mitchell 11d-4197` )1 2,888,897 y6/59 Prifbyl '114-185 3,067,714 12/62 'Allmand 114-18f MILTON B'UCHLER, Primary Examiner.

' ANDREW H. 'FARRELL Examiner. 

1. A BILGE DRAIN DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE DRAIN OPENING OF A BOATR TRANSOM, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATE RECIPROCABLE ACTUATING STEM HAVING FORWARD AND REAR END PORTIONS, A SUPPORT MEANS FOR THE STEM COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A HEAD, A MOUNTING BASE, AND A NECK INTERMEDIATE THE HEAD AND THE MOUNTING BASE, BEARING, MEANS ON THE HEAD AND THE MOUNTING BASE, FOR SUPPORTING THE RECIPROCABLE STEM AXIALLY OF THE DRAIN OPENING, WITH THE REAR END PORTION OF THE STEM EXTENDED INTO THE DRAIN OPENING AND THE FORWARD END PORTION THEREOF ACCESSIBLE INBOARD OF THE BOAT, AN OUTBOARD BOUYANT VALVE MEMBER MOUNTED UPON THE REAR END PORTION OF THE STEM FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE STEM TO AND FROM SEATED POSITION UPON THE DRAIN OPENING OUTBOARD OF THE TRANSOM, AND COOPERATIVE MAGNETIC ELEMENTS CARRIED BY THE BODY AND THE STEM, FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING THE STEM AT A SHIFTED POSITION AT WHICH THE VALVE MEMBER SEATS UPON THE DRAIN OPENING TO CLOSE SAID OPENING. 